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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. key — the most important part
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. trunk — of an elephant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com